Aches and Praise Three Hundred & Sixteen

Dear friends,  

 

Two weeks ago, I wrote about a misunderstanding that occurred when Jimmy Carter was the U.S. President, involving military information that could have triggered a war with Russia. In 1941, the U.S. joined other countries in the Second World War after 190 Japanese planes from 6 aircraft carriers attacked the South Pacific island of Oahu, Hawaii. This attack resulted in the  sinking of four U.S. battleships and two destroyers, the deaths of 2,113 Navy and Marine troops, and the wounding of 987 people. December 7, 1941 began peacefully in Pearl Harbor, but that Sunday ended in terrible destruction and death.

In his study guide entitled “Living Above the Level of Mediocrity,” Charles Swindoll writes: “As a Christian, you wake up to a Pearl Harbor of your own every morning. But it doesn’t take place on an island in the south Pacific. Your enemy sets his sights on a small harbor where your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes are serenely docked, tied to their moorings, seemingly safe. On any day, Satan can launch a surprise attack that within minutes can torpedo your testimony, char your character, and sink your spiritual life.”
 
How can we guard against being a victim of Satan’s attacks? Of utmost importance is to know the Word of God. As the psalmist wrote: “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11). In his letter to the believers in Ephesus, the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, instructs believers how to get dressed spiritually – “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes” (Ephesians 6:11).
 
Chuck Swindoll provides the following analysis of the word schemes in Ephesians 6:11 – “The word schemes in verse 11 is transliterated methodeia in the Greek. From this we get our word method. If the devil is our adversary as 1 Peter 5:8 says, it stands to reason he will attack us … he will have a plan of attack – a scheme, a strategy. And his strategy is to get to your mind … to lull you into mediocrity … to blunt the edge of your thinking … to cloud your reasoning.”
 
Pastor Swindoll tells the rest of the story of the attack on Pearl Harbor: “Of the eighteen U.S. warships sunk or damaged at Pearl Harbor, thirteen were repaired to later launch a counterattack on the Japanese fleet. Of the six aircraft carriers from that Japanese strike force, four were sunk 180 days later in the Battle of Midway, and only a single destroyer survived the war. The war ended 1,364 days after it started … on the deck of a U.S. battleship – not in Pearl Harbor, but in Tokyo Bay. In the past, Satan may have made some devastating strikes on your mind. But like the Pacific fleet, those thoughts can not only be restored but also mobilized in a counteroffensive against the enemy. Treasure God’s Word in your heart, and, thought by thought, the battle for your mind will be won.”
 
May we keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His life for us on the cross of Calvary, so that we might be set free from the bondage of sin, empowered by the Holy Spirit to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives (Titus 2:12).
 

Scripture for the weekend: “The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being.” Proverbs 20:27 (NIV) 

Thought for the weekend: “Churches must recover the centrality and urgency of biblical teaching and preaching, and refuse to sideline the teaching ministry of the preacher. Pastors and churches too busy – or too distracted – to make biblical knowledge a central aim of ministry will produce believers who simply do not know enough to be faithful disciples.” – Dr. Albert Mohler

 

By His grace,

 

Steve


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